Washington – Senators considered Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. so noncontroversial that they approved him for a seat on a federal appeals court without a single recorded objection.
Whether Roberts will get that kind of support for the nation’s highest court is unknown, but it bodes well for his bid to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
“It’s a good choice,” said Sen. John Warner, R-Va., a member of the powerful “Gang of 14” that recently prevented a Senate meltdown over judicial filibusters.
When asked whether Roberts could be confirmed easily, Warner said, “I wouldn’t predict anything, but it’s certainly a good place to start.”
Warner introduced Roberts at his 2003 confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
He was confirmed for the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals on an unrecorded voice vote of the Senate.
Another member of the “Gang of 14,” Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., told the Hartford Courant last week that Roberts would be one of three picks he thought would not spark a filibuster.
Seven Democrats and seven Republicans signed a pact in May not to filibuster judicial nominees except in extraordinary circumstances. At the same time, the senators agreed to oppose attempts by GOP leaders to change filibuster procedures.
